


Science/Visions

by scrapmetal



Series: Commander Boba Fett [3]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Force-Sensitive Clone Troopers (Star Wars), Gen, Ilum (Star Wars), Kyber Crystals, everyones gotta have an ilum fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26536534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrapmetal/pseuds/scrapmetal
Summary: “The first Mandalorian on Ilum, you are not. The last Mandalorian on Ilum, you hopefully will not be.”(title is the same as a chvrches song. the actual fic has no relation to the song i just thought it sounded cool)
Relationships: Boba Fett & Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett & Jango Fett, CC-2224 | Cody & Boba Fett
Series: Commander Boba Fett [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880080
Comments: 4
Kudos: 178





	Science/Visions

**Author's Note:**

> ive been holding on to this for a while sorry!! it's been like a month since the last fic in the series... didn't mean for it to be such a long time i got a bit distracted by some other writing. i wont link it but hey my account is right there so maybe take a look.

“Young Fett, I see you have brought along.”

Ahsoka laughed airily, a cloud of steam leaving her mouth as she wound her way around some vague excuse.

“I’m here for moral support,” Boba said with an eye roll. He didn’t need to be nice to anyone.

Yoda actually  _ laughed _ at that, which was annoying. Boba was trying to be rude.

“The first Mandalorian on Ilum, you are not. The last Mandalorian on Ilum, you hopefully will not be.”

“You say that like I don’t know about Tarre Vizsla.”

“Your knowledge of your people’s history, I do not doubt, but there are other younglings in this room, hmm?”

Boba glanced at Ahsoka, who looked back at him with a worrying amount of curiosity. Boba should’ve guessed he’d be saddled with homework the moment he saw Yoda just  _ happening  _ to be on Ilum.

Before Boba could even begin telling the long history of the Darksaber, Ilum’s sun drifted just enough to shine into the massive kyber crystal dangling from the ceiling. The concentrated light that came from it started melting the sturdy wall of ice in front of them, opening up the Crystal Caves. Saved by the incredibly precise time based architecture.

Yoda nodded, gesturing for the two to enter, and so Ahsoka and Boba started off into the cave, side by side. 

At the first fork, they both paused. Boba sat down with a sigh, preparing to wait, while Ahsoka had her eyes closed and hands drifting in front of her, clearly feeling out where exactly she should go next. Boba was only there for, as he had said, moral support. The Crystal Caves were dangerous, especially for those who weren’t force sensitive, and although Boba  _ was _ force sensitive, he wasn’t force sensitive enough for it to be safe. Usually he wouldn’t’ve even been let in the place, but he’d been a special case for a while. He was only allowed to go any further if he felt something pulling him, if there was a crystal in there for him.

Ahsoka went off on her own adventure while Boba let his mind loose as he sat, ignoring how cold the icey floor was even past his layers. Obi-Wan had always called what Boba did an “interesting way to meditate,” but Boba didn’t really think it counted as meditation. Meditation implied that Boba’s mind would be somewhat empty, or centered, or whatever, and would probably require him to pay attention to how cold his butt was. When Boba let his mind loose he lost touch with the world and his thoughts were filled with just about everything that usually sat dormant in the back of his head. The impressions of others’ minds would also leak in if they were close enough, but Boba was alone at the moment. Still, his mind swam up to the massive amounts of sensations and information just outside the range of his senses, guided only by the lazy and sometimes neglectful hand of the Force. The sensation was mostly just like some wild dream, but it allowed Boba to do whatever meditating helped the Jedi with. If it also meant he fell asleep during Obi-Wan’s lectures, that wasn’t technically  _ his  _ fault, he was a child soldier. 

_ “Ad’ika,” _

Boba’s eyes snapped open at the too-familiar voice. He was greeted by the flickering image of his buir, standing in front of him like a broken holo, buy’ce at his hip as he smiled warmly. 

Turns out the cave had something for Boba after all.

“Gar r’cu’ami ori’shya,” Jango commented, voice warm. 

Boba couldn’t wait any longer, he got up and ran into his buir’s arms. He was just solid enough to hug if Boba concentrated hard enough on his presence. 

“Don’t waste all your stamina on me, Bob’ika. You have things to do.”

Boba sighed even as he released his embrace and let his buir fade back into an intangible state. “I miss you though.” 

Jango hummed and started walking. “Jate,”

“Jate?” Boba repeated incredulously, stumbling to keep up with his buir _. _ How could missing someone be  _ good? _

“Jetiise haven’t taken you yet.”

Boba blinked a bit in surprise before laughing. “They’d have to try a bit harder.”

Jango laughed quietly before looking over and taking a moment to contemplate their ad _.  _ “You’re a lot smarter than I was when I was your age. I swear, the longnecks must’ve snuck  _ something  _ into your growth tube to make you like this.”

Boba looked back up in confusion. His buir had never called a Kaminoan a longneck. He never mentioned  _ growth tubes _ when talking about Boba, that was how Cody talked. How Rex talked, how Waxer and Boil and… It was how clones talked.

Jango blinked, as if he had just realized what he’d said. “I guess you’ve all been rubbing off on me. I’ve been watching.”

“You aren’t marching on?” Boba asked, fear lacing his voice. 

“Even you have to admit,” Jango started, smiling apologetically, “that giving up on a million ik’aade I was responsible for is pretty dar’manda.”

_ But you were a good buir to me, the best.  _ Boba thought quietly. How selfish was he? 

“I’ve admitted my mistakes,” Jango continued, “and now all I can do is watch and understand what I’ve done. But you can do much more, can’t you? You’re in a unique position, Boba. You aren’t the only one who can help, but you might be the only one willing to. It breaks my heart that it has to be this way, but I know you know when to rely on your vode. You don't have to fix this, that's not what I'm saying, but… you can. I know that.”

“I don’t know why I wouldn’t, buir, if I don’t help my vode, who am I?”

Jango smiled, their face blurring, “Ner’satyc be gar.”

And when Boba blinked, Jango was Cody. 

“Wait--  _ Boba?” _

Boba frowned in confusion. He didn't quite know how to react to Cody's surprise, especially right after the conversation he just had. “Who else would it be?”

“I don't know. Maybe one of the thousands of cadets on Kamino right now that look around your age? Boba, come  _ on.  _ I haven't seen you in years and you act like this? Last I heard you were in jail!”

Desperation seeped into Cody's voice. They definitely weren't the same Cody Boba lived with on the Negotiator. Boba didn't know what to do, should he tell him that he'd last seen his own Cody a week prior, right before departing for Ilum?

“Sorry, vod,” Boba said softly, still trying to figure things out, “it's good to see you.”

Cody sighed. “It's alright, Boba. I'll be honest, things aren't good. We aren't losing, but we aren't winning either. I'm glad you at least don't have to fight like the rest of us. And hey, now that you're apparently out of jail you can go off, do what the rest of us can't. You deserve it.”

“Oh.” Boba had fought countless battles with the 212 now, right between Cody and Obi-Wan, dual pistols in hand. And well, Cody was wrong. Leaving meant desertion for Boba as well. “I… But what if I don't want to go off? There's nowhere for me to go _.  _ I want to stay with you. I miss you”

A strange look appeared on Cody's face. “I can't imagine why you'd want that, Boba. I don't want us to reunite just for you to lose me again.”

Boba didn't know how to respond to that. Logically, he knew this was a different Cody from the one he knew, one that apparently wasn't as close, one who looked like he had just returned from some painful campaign… But it stung. Why  _ was  _ he in the 212? Why did he give everything up just to be with Cody, if they were just going to be ripped apart? It was because Cody  _ cared  _ about him, mostly, but this Cody just didn't. They didn't want Boba at all. 

Boba choked back a sob and turned away, still walking, not at all sure where he was going. 

When Boba eventually built up the courage to look back at Cody, it was someone else. Though the face was the same as it always had been, the face shared by most of the people he loved, he didn't know who it was. 

The vod was dressed like a jedi, their hair pulled back to a short tuft in the back, not quite long enough to be a proper ponytail. They looked like a jedi in terms of their expression too, all aloof and uncaring. When they handed Boba a lightsaber, Boba couldn't really find it within himself to be surprised. 

“Activate it.”

Boba held the weapon far away from himself as he pressed the button to turn it on. He could hear the distinctive snap-hiss as it activated, but as he looked at the blade, he couldn't quite determine its color. It had no light, it had no color, but at the same time it  _ did _ , and it was  _ all _ the colors. 

The strange jetii-vod snorted. “You sure aren't a jedi yet.”

Boba frowned. “I don't  _ want  _ to be a jedi. I'm just… I mean. It's not like I can just ignore the force giving me visions of my loved ones. Who are you anyways?”

“Aren't I familiar?” The vod asked, almost cheekily. 

“Smartass. Appearance wise you aren't really narrowing anything down much.”

“Look a bit more locally, kih’vod.”

Boba swung the confusing-to-look-at lightsaber over at the jetii. “I'm older than you, asshole,” he retorted, almost out of instinct. The vod looked to be about ten though, so it was fair. 

The vod took a step back. “Hey, be careful with that thing. And are you sure? Last I checked I'm 20 standard.”

“Don't worry, can't kill a force vision,” Boba huffed, “and that doesn't even make any sense.”

“It doesn't? I would say your previous vision was a bit more out there than this one.  _ Think _ for more than two seconds for once in your life.”

“You're a mean jetii.”

The vod shrugged. “Unfortunate. Maybe you'll do better.”

Boba took a good fifteen seconds to put everything together. “You're just me but an asshole!” He finally exclaimed. 

“No, I'm you eight years in the future if you decide to fully follow the path of the Jedi. Just because I called you an idiot doesn't mean I'm an asshole.”

Jetii Boba pointed to the lightsaber in normal, nice Boba's hands. “This is the first step, padawan. They could all deny your abilities before, but now? You're not just a clone, Boba. You're something more.”

Boba frowned, quietly thinking about the last year he'd had. Hadn't his time with the 212th told him the opposite? He _was_ a clone. The thought that he was anything more was something his buir convinced themself of so they would feel less guilty about the others. Where had that gotten him? Dead, unable to reverse his wrongs, and apparently sitting and watching his dar’ade, learning to become mando again. Boba had been so very close to following right along, but then Kote came back for him. 

“You're wrong. I am a clone. I'm not _just_ a clone though. How many of your vode have you forgotten because they're _just_ clones? Where's Cody? Where is Cody in your sad little jetii world?” Boba held back angry tears as he continued his rant. “Where is your vod’ika? Have you forgotten about him? How much of his love have you thrown away, because he's _just_ a clone?”

Jetii Boba's eyes became misty and distant, the only sign that he was feeling anything. “Kote’s gone. They all are. You'll have to learn to let go of your attachments sometime.”

“Gar cuy dar’manda!” Boba yelled, lobbing the lightsaber at the jedi’s chest. With that, he was gone. There was no more vision, no more tricks. But in the place where the lightsaber had landed lay a single kyber crystal.

Not forgetting the last vision’s insistence that a lightsaber would be the first step towards him becoming a jedi, Boba apprehensively reached for the crystal. As soon as his fingers touched the surface of it, the crystal became a dark obsidian black. 

Boba's breath caught when he saw what color the crystal-  _ his  _ crystal, he could feel it twine around his soul- became. There was only one Darksaber. Black blades weren't heard of otherwise… But usually Mandalorian Jedi weren't heard of either.

“I'm not ready to become mand’alor,” Boba muttered to himself in disbelief. The crystal seemed to laugh at him at that.

“Were you the one that caused all those visions?” Boba really didn't know how to talk to a semi-sapient force stone, but he figured it couldn't be too different from talking to anyone else. The crystal sent back an affirmative, still seeming amused. 

Boba started walking where his gut told him to. He had barely registered he was even walking when interacting with the visions that led him to his crystal, so instinct (and the force, he supposed, though if he were to actually actively try to draw on the force, his luck would fade) seemed to be the way to lead him back. 

“Was that actually my buir?” Boba asked, addressing the crystal, the cave, the fickle bastard that was the Force.

The crystal’s amusement faded into something Boba would describe as more thoughtful. The response that came was… Complex. Boba got the feeling that the vision was not a full or accurate depiction of those within or around manda, but the exchanged words were just real enough. 

Boba sent his thanks back in the same way the crystal had sent feelings to him and felt his stamina strain somewhat. Apparently he was unable to ride off of the burning-hot force energy that came off the crystal in waves. It seemed that even though Boba now had a kyber crystal, he still wasn't very powerful within the force. 

Returning to the main room of the temple was simple enough though, both the force and Boba's crystal seemed content with how much he had gone through in the first half. Ahsoka was standing with her back to the caves and seemed to be looking for something.

“Su’cuy, vod!” Boba shouted as soon as he could see her. 

Ahsoka jumped and turned around. “Oh force, I thought you got lost or something. Did you end up having a crystal call to you?”

Boba shrugged. “Something like that. Had like, three force visions. I think that's the most I’m ever going to get in my life.” He held up his crystal. “Got this thing out of it though.”

“It's black? I didn't even know kyber crystals could  _ be  _ black!” She held out her own. “And I thought mine was cool, it's a bit more yellow than my other one. You don't see yellow all too often.”

Boba frowned. “I think that's pretty cool, I didn't know you could have two different colored lightsabers. Mine is just… Well. I mean, there  _ is _ only one other black lightsaber, but it was made by the only Jedi Mando so...”

“Oh, so it's like a Mando thing?”

Boba shrugged. “It's a pretty small sample size? But probably.”

“You're going to have to tell me all about the Darksaber. And the Vizsla guy. Is Pre Vizsla related to him?”

“Unfortunately,” Boba grumbled. “Tarre Vizsla was alive back when Clan Vizsla was respectable, when they weren't a bunch of petty child murderers. He was the first and only Jedi Mando. Mandalorians have such a tumultuous history with Jedi because a Mando would never give up their force sensitive child, and Jedi are convinced force sensitive children aren't safe without them. Tarre was allowed by his family to be trained by the Jedi, and in turn the Jedi let Tarre’s family stay with him the whole time. It hadn't happened before, and it hasn't happened since.”

“...And his lightsaber was the Darksaber?” Ahsoka asked. 

“Oh! Right, yeah.” Boba replied sheepishly, embarrassed to be caught rambling about history. “Tarre became Mand’alor at one point, and he gave the next Mand’alor his darksaber. That started the tradition of the Mand’alor being the one who bears the Darksaber.”

Ahsoka frowned, looking more than a bit sceptical. “Wait, you get to rule  _ all of Mandalore _ if you have the Darksaber?”

Boba laughed. “Oh no, not even close. It's a lot more complicated than just ‘whoever has it is in charge.’ But the Darksaber’s part of the symbolism. Maybe I'll tell you about how the Mand’alor was chosen sometime. The Republic  _ hated  _ it.”

“You know a lot about this.”

“I mean, I kinda have to,” Boba said with a shrug. “Buir was pretty much the last Mand’alor before Death Watch and New Mandalore fucked everything up.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened. “You're a  _ prince?” _

Boba huffed. “There are no princes on Mandalore, succession isn't really a thing. A Mand’alor’s kid only becomes Mand'alor after them if they're chosen to be.”

“Hmm, I dunno,” Ahsoka started, and Boba could feel the teasing coming on, “you're going to have a darksaber after we're done with this, that sounds a bit princely to me.”

“If you call me a prince I'll kick you,” Boba warned, “you can call Cody a prince if you really need to call one of us it. He probably won't kick you.” 

“That's because they wouldn't have context!” Ahsoka protested. “It has to be you!”

“Oh of course,” Boba sighed, “always the lucky one.”

**Author's Note:**

> i think boba's conversation with jango would probably all be in mando'a but although i have translated a lot of it, that would be completely unreasonable to actually put in the fic so i just left it at a couple sentences. i also didn't get the chance to describe how boba's saber actually turns out but you can find it in [this drawing](https://alkahestric.tumblr.com/post/625739950628978688/some-small-things-for-my-commander-boba-fett-au). i control who gets a darksaber. leave a comment if you feel like it! i like to collect them. 
> 
> Mando'a translations:  
> ad'ika: little one, child  
> buir: parent  
> Gar r’cu’ami ori’shya.: You got bigger.  
> jate: good  
> jetii: jedi, jetiise plural  
> ad: child (as in son/daughter)  
> ik'aade: babies (aged 1-3)  
> dar'manda: not Mandalorian (not an outsider, but one who has lost their heritage, and so their identity and soul)  
> vod: sibling, vode plural, vode is often used to refer to the clones in general  
> Ner’satyc be gar.: Proud of you.  
> kih'vod: younger sibling  
> kote: glory, also the word Cody's name comes from  
> vod'ika: little/favorite sibling, less dependent on age than kih'vod  
> Gar cuy dar’manda!: You are not Mandalorian!  
> mand’alor: sole ruler  
> Su’cuy, vod!: Hey, friend!


End file.
